Deck of Many Things
The Deck of Many Things has been a part of Dungeons & Dragons for several editions now. It’s been around at least as long as I’ve been playing (approximately 14 years). For those who’ve never heard of it, it’s an artifact-level deck of cards. Players can elect to draw from the deck to achieve powerful beneficial effects (e.g. treasure, levels, magic items, etc.). However, for every good card in the deck, there is a bad one that can spell doom for a player unlucky enough to pull it.
The Deck of Many Things has obvious appeal for a number of reasons. Players of D&D, by definition, enjoy the prospect of grand adventures, of grave risk for even greater rewards. The Deck of Many Things allows just that in a very compressed format. There’s no need to fight monsters or solve puzzles. Your victory or defeat can be determined with the draw of a card.
From the DM’s chair, of course, there’s a lot more to lose. The Deck of Many Things is notorious for its ability to completely destroy a well-constructed campaign. All it takes is one character drawing the “Gain beneficial medium wondrous item and 50,000 XP” card to make everyone else feel unnecessary. After all, their companion has just gained several levels and can easily trounce anything in their path single-handedly. On the same token, a character could immediately lose all of their hard-earned gear, be trapped in an extradimensional space, or be slain permanently. While the party may recover, the individual player may very well feel swindled.
Using a Deck of Many Things should never be done lightly. A single card can radically unbalance a campaign or ruin someone’s fun. The more people who draw from it and the more cards that are drawn, the more likely it is that one of these game-ruining cards comes out. Consider your players’ attachment to their characters and their degree of risk-taking behavior before giving them the option. Fewer cards means lower risk.
It’s also worthwhile to audit the Deck’s effects before introducing it into play. Consider mitigating the worst cards to prevent the campaign from suffering if they’re drawn. If you do so, be sure to balance the Deck by mitigating a card of opposing desirability as well. In any event, the potential risks should be balanced by the potential rewards, but there’s nothing wrong with tweaking it beforehand to keep things under control.
The important thing to remember about a Deck of Many Things is that drawing from it involves gambling everything. Players gamble their characters and DMs gamble their campaigns. The only safe draw from a Deck of Many Things is the one that is never made. Keep that in mind and consider carefully before putting it in front of your players.